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Sinningia insularis is an easy-to-grow species with abundant, rather small, reddish-orange flowers.
A distinctive feature of S. insularis is the large shiny red fruits (see picture below). This species self-pollinates readily.
The leaves are very firm and stiff, almost as much so as those of S. macrostachya. They are usually in whorls of three. In my yard, this species is tolerant of full sun and occasional drought. I believe it is one of the easiest sinningia species to grow.
| Plant Description |
|
| Growth | Determinate |
| Stems | Upright or spreading. |
| Leaves | Green, stiff, in pairs or whorls |
| Dormancy | Stems fully deciduous. However, new stems can sprout as old ones drop off, so it appears that full dormancy is facultative. |
Flowering |
|
| Inflorescence | Flowers borne on terminal peduncle |
| Season | Flowers in summer |
| Flower | Short orange-red, tubular |
Horticultural aspects |
|
| From seed | Three years to bloom, under my conditions; you can probably do better |
| Hardiness | Has survived 28F (-2C) in my yard |
| Recommended? | You bet. Flowers are on the small side, but S. insularis is attractive and easy to grow. |
Botany |
|
| Taxonomic group | The douglasii group of the Dircaea clade. |
| Nectaries | Two, small, dorsal, joined or almost so |
As Rechsteineria insularis by Hoehne, in 1958. Chautems transferred it to Sinningia in 1990.
Etymology: from Latin insula ("island").
According to Mauro Peixoto (information on Gesneriphiles), this species comes from Ilha dos Alcatrazes, an island in Sao Paolo State (Brazil).